


Sic Semper Tyrannis

by TheDarkLordMegatron



Series: Zine Pieces [4]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, Episode Ardyn Gilgamesh is XV Gil's father, Father-Son Relationship, Gilgardyn Zine, M/M, episode ardyn, not a good one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2020-02-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:40:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22601848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDarkLordMegatron/pseuds/TheDarkLordMegatron
Summary: My piece for the Gilgardyn Zine - 'Gilded Affections'He should have suspected something was wrong from the very moment his father informed him that he was not to be by Ardyn’s side during the ascension ceremony. For him to be asked, no, ordered, from his Prince’s side during such an important event was unheard of.And now his city was in chaos and his Prince missing.How had it all gone so wrong?
Relationships: Gilgamesh (Final Fantasy XV)/Ardyn Izunia
Series: Zine Pieces [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1505765
Kudos: 13





	Sic Semper Tyrannis

**Author's Note:**

> It was an absolute honour to take part in this zine, the content created by everyone is absolutely stunning as is the zine itself! 
> 
> For reference, I headcanon that the Gilgamesh we saw in Episode Ardyn was XV Gil's father - I refuse to believe our Gil has an 80s pornstache xD

He should have suspected something was wrong from the very moment his father informed him that he was not to be by Ardyn’s side during the ascension ceremony. For him to be asked, no, ordered, from his Prince’s side during such an important event was unheard of. Had anyone else, Ardyn included, requested such a thing of him, he would have told them what they could do with that suggestion, but it had been his father. A man he trusted implicitly. A man, whom if the child sent to fetch him was to be believed, had sealed the Citadel with both Princes and Daemons inside. 

Running through the streets of the city, frantically fighting his way through the panicked crowds and soldiers intent on stopping him, Gilgamesh cursed to himself. He should have followed his instincts and insisting on being present, on standing beside Ardyn no matter what. 

“Halt!” A young guard bellowed before bodily throwing himself at Gilgamesh. It was almost shameful how easy it was to sidestep him, a former recruit of his he realised as green eyes met his own, and took hold of his neck. Choking the soldier clutched at his forearm with both hands, his blade long-forgotten on the floor.

“Tell me what is going on,” Gilgamesh demanded, calmly grabbing the fist sent towards his face. “Do not be foolish. Tell me what has happened and I will let you go.” The boy, for he could not have been older than sixteen summers, stared at him wide-eyed for a few precious seconds before relenting. 

“The Prince,” He rasped, “They say the Prince is a Daemon. Killed the Lady Aera and turned on his own brother! Your Lord father tried to enter the halls but Prince Somnus ordered everyone out, sealed himself in he has.” Releasing his grip on the boy, Gilgamesh stared at a shard of pottery partially buried in the dirt. He had to be lying. Ardyn would never harm Aera, would never turn on Somnus despite their fractured relationship. Even in his darkest moments, when Gilgamesh would wake in the dead of night to find his partner thrashing about in his sleep, Ardyn had never once lost control of the Scourge. “Ser?” 

"The Citadel, you say Prince Somnus has sealed it?"

"Yes Ser, won't even let your father in Ser." Frowning Gilgamesh turned to look at the towering size of the Citadel. He was no fool. If what the boy had said was indeed true, that Ardyn had succumbed to the Scourge and had killed Aera, more blood would be spilt before nightfall. 

"How many stand guard?" If he could get past the guards his father had no doubt called upon, there was a chance, however small it might be, that he would be able to subdue both Princes and remove Ardyn from the city before any more lives could be lost.

"I'm not sure Ser, Lord Amicitia had us spread out looking for you as soon as the Council ran out. Told us not to let you near the pain of flogging."

“Go,” He ordered, tearing his gaze away from the sand “Find your family and leave the city while you still can.” Watching as the boy scrambled to his feet and ran in the opposite direction of whence he came, Gilgamesh frowned. Alone, his father was a formidable opponent, but with the strength of his guards behind him, the task would be significantly harder. Nor was his father foolish enough to believe he would not attempt to sneak in should he get within close proximity of the building. No, stealth was out of the question. The direct approach was. 

\---

Of course, he had known that it was never going to be as simple as requesting entry into the Citadel. His father was, after all, the most stubborn man Gilgamesh had ever had the misfortune of meeting. And perhaps it was a testament to how large the chasm between himself and his father had become, that as soon as he entered the plaza he was surrounded by armed guards. Unperturbed by the numerous blades pointed at himself, Gilgamesh turned to his father, eyebrow raised and gestured at the men.

“If I have committed a crime, I should like to know what it is before you sentence me.” 

“You should not be here,” His father sighed heavily from his position atop the steps of the Citadel.

“So I am told,” Gilgamesh retorted, “But I have been told many things today, all of which I am questioning the legitimacy of.”

“You always were far too inquisitive for your own good.”

“Is that a threat?”

“Merely an observation.” His father replied with a wave of his hand, descending the stairs. Were it not for the numerous men surrounding him, the movement would have provided an excellent opportunity to slip inside. “I had expected to see you charging in like a madman.”

“So you had a legitimate reason to strike me down?” His father made no rebuttal. Nodding his head Gilgamesh chuckled humorlessly. “Of course. What else could I expect from a man willing to condemn thousands of innocents to the flame?”

“There are no innocents in this world.”

“And I suppose that is what you tell yourself to ensure you can sleep at night.” The backhand certainly wasn’t unexpected but it still sent him into a shocked silence all the same. 

“Watch your tone boy” His father hissed, reaching out to take hold of his face in a merciless grasp. “I could have ended your miserable life the moment I discovered your sinful obsession with that creature.” Ah, so Ardyn had indeed lost control of the Scourge. 

“There is nothing unnatural about-!” This time the hand that collided with his face sent him sprawling onto the ground. 

“You have lain with another of your own sex, that alone is worthy of death, but to conspire with one of the daemons we seek to rid this world of? You disgust me.”

Gilgamesh laughed harshly “I disgust you?!” Climbing to his feet, pointedly ignoring the guards closing ranks around them, he sneered at his father. “Perhaps you should look in a mirror father,” He spat “I do not have the blood of innocent children on my hands. And unlike yourself, I have done nothing but remain loyal to my King.” This time he was ready for the attempted attack. Stepping aside he grabbed the first aimed for his face, twisting it towards himself and forcing his father to turn his back to him. 

“My Lord!” Several of the guards cried, raising their blades. Bringing his father to his chest, Gilgamesh placed one clawed hand around his throat. 

“Do not move,” He ordered, slowly manoeuvring them around until he was facing those gathered, his back to the Citadel. “Attempt to strike at me and I will snap his neck before a single blade can touch my skin.” 

“Even now you would defend that monster over your own flesh and blood,” His father rasped bringing his free arm up to hold Gilgamesh’s wrist. 

“Unlike my flesh and blood, Ardyn has never betrayed me.” He stated. Lessening the pressure on his father’s neck, Gilgamesh slowly began moving back towards the Citadel, only just taking note of the all-encompassing silence. 

“You made your decision when you abandoned our people.”

It took a great deal of willpower to resist the urge to simply crush the man’s windpipe and make a run for it. “I abandoned no one,” Gilgamesh said quietly, angling his body in such a way that his father was between himself and the man who had been slowly creeping up on their left. “I chose to serve the man who saved the lives of so many of our people.”

“But not your mother.” 

His mother’s death had always been a source of contention between them. When Ardyn had first ridden into their village a decade earlier, with the promise of healing as many as he could, his mother had been among the first patients, but not even a divine healer could heal someone as lost to the Scourge as she had been. Whilst incredibly grateful for his services, for the lives Ardyn had managed to save, there were a number of his fellow clansmen, his father included, who believed Ardyn had let Inanna die. It was those same clansmen who disowned him when he stood before their people and informed them that he would be travelling with the Healer Prince as his Shield. 

“Not even the Spirits could have saved mother,” Gilgamesh replied softly, “You know that.” His left foot made contact with the base of the staircase and before his father could concoct a sufficient reply, Gilgamesh violently threw him into the guards, taking a little pleasure in the pain-filled grunts that accompanied it as he fled into the dark bowels of the Citadel. It would not be long before the men would inevitably give chase, however, they would find naught but a few muddy footprints in his wake. 

\---

As a man who had been raised in the open plains of the Lucian countryside, the winding corridors of the Citadel had always proven to be incredibly difficult to navigate. More often than not Gilgamesh would find himself standing in an empty corridor, staring at the cold stone walls and wondering how he had managed to find the baths yet again. It was infuriating. However, finding the Great Chamber in which the Crystal was situated was relatively easy when one simply had to follow the destruction caused by a fleeing crowd. 

Upon entering the Chamber, he paused, allowing himself a brief moment to take in the horrifying sight of the Scourge-stained floor. It did not take a genius to work out exactly what had transpired. Steeling himself for what he was sure would be a less than pleasant experience, Gilgamesh pressed onwards. 

The silence was deafening. The lack of fighting could only mean one thing, either Ardyn was successfully evading Somnus or one of, potentially both, brothers laid dead. 

Unfortunately, any residual hope that resided within his chest died the second he turned the next corner.

Standing halfway down the corridor he and Ardyn had used as a location for late-night rendezvous’ on many an occasion, was Somnus. Two bodies laid at his feet and Gilgamesh fell to his knees where he stood. Even from such a distance, the first body was easy enough to identify, the pale blonde hair of the Fleuret line unmistakable, even as stained by the Scourge as she was. And the second...only one man wore robes as white as his and had hair the same colour as his favourite wine. 

“No,” He breathed in disbelief, fists clenching where they rested upon his thighs. “No!” He roared in anguish, throwing himself to his feet and closing the distance between himself and Somnus in seconds. Startled the Prince turned to face him just as his fist collided with the man’s face, sending him sprawling as he tripped over Aera’s body. Dropping to his knees once again, Gilgamesh ran a hand over Ardyn’s face before turning his attention to the sword in his lover’s chest. Without thinking he took hold of the hilt and ripped it out of Ardyn, throwing it aside before gathering the man up into his arms, holding him as one would hold a newborn. “Ardyn,” He whispered brokenly. 

It had been one thing to discover evidence of the Scourge covering Ardyn’s back as they bathed one evening, but it was another to see the Scourge-stained tear tracks on his face. A face that only the night before, had been laughing and covered in food after accidentally falling asleep during their meal. His fingers traced the lines on Ardyn’s forehead, trailing down his cheeks before coming to rest upon his lips. 

“What have you done?” He demanded after a few seconds of silence, tearing his gaze away from the slack face of his lover to glare at Somnus. “What have you done?!” He roared once again, clutching Ardyn’s body to his chest.

“What was required,” Somnus replied solemnly as he climbed to his feet, taking care not to disturb the Oracle’s corpse. “He was no longer my brother.”

“You have no right to call him your brother.” Gilgamesh hissed, blinking back the tears that threatened to spill.

Somnus snarled and moved towards him, “I have the only right!” Calling his blade to his hand he waved it threateningly in Gilgamesh’s direction. “Do you think I take pleasure in his death? In the death of our lady?” 

“I know not what I should think of you,” He barked, cautiously standing, still clutching Ardyn to his chest “Except that I find you standing over the bodies of our King and future Queen.”

“The Gods chose me,” Somus bit back.

“Lies!” 

“It is the truth,” Spinning on his heel, Gilgamesh stared wide-eyed at his father as the man approached them slowly. “Shortly before the ceremony was to take place, the Lady Aera informed His Majesty that the gods had chosen him. That they had rejected that.” He motioned at the corpse in Gilgamesh’s arms. 

Opening his mouth to reply Gilgamesh was cut off by Somnus “He was incensed by their decision. Attempted to take control of the Crystal only to be struck down. In his rage he allowed the Scourge to manifest and struck down Aera before turning on me. When your father and I tried to defend ourselves, he took her body and fled. I gave chase while your father secured the Citadel.”

Shaking his head Gilgamesh glared at him “You lie,” He snarled “Even at his worst, Ardyn would never harm Aera. He loved her-”

“He loved no one!” Somnus bellowed “Do you not see? He has lied and manipulated you! Do not be a fool!”

“The only fools I see are the two men standing before me!” Gilgamesh responded

“You watch your tone boy!” His father roared in response, moving to stand beside Somnus “This is your King and you will respect him!”

“I respect no one but the man I hold in my arms and I will certainly never bend the knee to a man who has committed fratricide.” 

“Remember your place,” Somnus hissed, summoning the blade Gilgamesh had discarded to his hand.

“My place is by my King’s side,” Gilgamesh replied turning his attention once again to Ardyn’s face “Supporting him and protecting him from harm, as all Shields should. Though I have failed in that regard,” Leaning in he pressed a kiss to Ardyn’s forehead before returning his body to the ground. “I could not defend him when he needed me,” He continued, “But I can and will avenge him.”

“Think very carefully about what you are about to do.” His father warned, withdrawing his own blade from its sheath as Gilgamesh did the same.

“I am a Shield. An Amicitia. This is my duty.”

The clash of blades echoed throughout the halls of the Citadel. A trio of swords met in a flurry of vicious attacks, steel rebounding off of steel before returning in a series of potentially deadly strikes. At one point the Prince stepped aside, watching for an opening as father and son viciously slashed at one another. In the end, it was a simple slip of a foot on a Scourge laden floor that brought an end to the elder’s life. 

As the blade passed by, catching the end of Gilgamesh’s hair, it’s owner slipped, providing just enough of an opening. With no hesitation, he lunged forward, burying his blade to the hilt with an anguished yell. Silence descended as all three processed what had happened, followed almost immediately by a few wet coughs and the sound of a body falling to the ground. Stunned by the sudden turn of events, Gilgamesh stood still, eyes locked onto his father’s as he took his final few breaths. 

“It would seem that we are not so different after all,” Somnus commented absently.

His sword slipped from his hand, clattering to the ground. “We are nothing alike.” He corrected, pushing past him and making his way back to Ardyn’s side once again. “It's better to have loved than to never have loved at all,” He said as he brushed a lock of hair away from Ardyn’s face “I am fortunate to have loved. You never have and never will know that pleasure.” 

Content he leant over, resting his forehead against Ardyn’s and smiled. 

He was still smiling when the blade pierced his back.


End file.
